Linda Volkovitsch wrote:
>1)  I have read the posts on oversupply colic with much interest.  My
>sister-in-law seems to be having difficulty with oversupply colic.  The
>true difficulty comes in that her son has an extreme preference for one
>breast over the other (nurses one for 20 min and the other for 3-5 at
>most).  How can she only offer the non-preferred side for 2 hours?  Her son
>will be hysterical long before allowed on the preferred side.  How does one
>handle this problem with a preference issue thrown in?  Any suggestions
>would be appreciated.

As long as baby is happy to take the less-preferred breast at all, it
should still work. Two hours is not such a long time - many babies would
not want to feed at all within this time period. In the case of a
frequently-feeding baby with oversupply colic, remember that baby is
actually *never* hungry. He cries to feed frequently for comfort from the
pain of tummy ache, not for more food. With a baby feeding *totally* from
one breast, this may be more tricky. A couple of times I have counselled
mums of twins with oversupply. In all cases, the thing to aim for basically
is a lower number of feeds from the breast/s that is/are overproducing.
This sometimes means that mum just has to stretch out the time between
feeds a bit more, some even use a modified schedule for a few days. Some
opt to give extra comfort sucking on their finger or with a dummy
(pacifier). You are aiming for the overproducing breast/s to remain fuller
more of the time, thus slowing the milk production rate. (Remember, the
rate at which milk is being made in an individual breast is determined by
the degree of emptiness. The fuller the breast, the lower the production
rate, and vice versa.)

>2)  I was asked how soon after a mother ingests chocolate will it show up
>in her milk?  How long will it take to clear her system?  (I guessed the
>2-3 weeks for total dairy clearance, was this correct?)

I had a baby who reacted quite distinctly after I ate or drank any
chocolate-flavoured food or drink. He was colicky in general for his first
5 months, but the chocolate created a new level of hysteria. I calculated
the extra colic reaction occurred 30 hours after my ingestion of the
chocolate flavouring. Obviously it reached my milk before this time - this
was how long it took to get through both my system and his. This may be
different in different people. I don't know how long it would take to clear
the mother's system.

>3) It is frustrating when women are told not to BF or they will have droopy
>(and therefore unattractive?) breasts.  A local LC tells moms-to-be that
>becoming pregnant has already ended those days of "perkiness" as the
>changes take place in the breast whether you BF or not.  The culprit is
>becoming pregnant and the breast changes that go with pregnancy, not
>whether or not you BF after you deliver.  Combine this with being able to
>eat most everything in sight while still losing those post-partum pounds
>and it sounds even better!

I understood that the "perky" breast shape was a sign of immaturity, and it
was indeed pregnancy that changed the shape forever. I think in some
cultures the mature shape is considered more desirable - something to do
with fertility?? Also we need to be careful in telling mums they can eat a
lot and still lose weight while breastfeeding. While this is true for some,
our metabolisms vary to such an extent that this is not necessarily true
for lots of others, especially if they are the type who put on weight just
looking at a cream cake!!

Joy Anderson IBCLC
Perth, Western Australia
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